Tell it Proud

Christina Blacken
  • 5.0 (26)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the cultural and ethical wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features inspiring personal development tips and stories of overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom told live from incredible unconventional leaders, as well as curated from original poetry, social justice book reviews, and overlooked historical recaps, written and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Learning Community, which is a weekly email newsletter and monthly coaching community that helps mission driven folks use the power of personal storytelling and overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom to create a better future. The Tell it Proud podcast will inspire you with overlooked topics that crusty, inequitable leaders often want erased or ignored, because they change the status-quo for the better. *Formally known as the Sway Them In Color Podcast, which you can find older episodes of with that title.

  1. 2D AGO

    what I love about being Black

    Welcome to Tell it Proud, stories of ethical and cultural wisdom too good to erase or ignore.  This episode is a special compilation of friends, family, and homies sharing personal wisdom and ethical and cultural insights about what they love about being Black. During a time of increasing racial profiling, state sanctioned violence, and cultural erasure, it's more important than ever before to create our own narratives and value around our identities. Tune in to hear an original poem from me and to laugh, be inspired, and learn from various backgrounds, locations, and perspectives about what it means to love the skin you're in. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    19 min
  2. You Might Also Like: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    2D AGO · BONUS

    You Might Also Like: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

    Introducing "The Mayor" (w/ Laura Dern) from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. Follow the show: Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang Um, is this thing on? Because a pink corduroy-clad Laura Dern bursts like the sun into the Las Cultch studio to speak with Matt & Bowen at length and... that's OUR world! That's the world that WE're livin' in. Dern whips out a Reese impression, discusses channeling anger better than anyone in the biz, talks creating Amy Jellicoe alongside Mike White in Enlightened, and gets into both the comedic and dramatic brutality of Big Little Lies. Also, defining wonder whilst looking up at CGI Brachiosaurii, starring as Ellen's gay love interest in The Puppy Episode of her sitcom, and even more on Jeff Goldblum's chest, if you can believe it. All this, growing up in Hollywood in a different era, reflections on the current status of the entertainment industry, going punk rock at 12 years old, David Lynch as niche yet mainstream culture, and Laura's real life interaction with a Real Housewife. See one of Laura's thousands of current projects (Is This Thing On?, Jay Kelly, Palm Royale on Apple TV+), as well as her millions of indelible ones you probably already love. I SAID THANK YOU! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. FEB 4

    what the Harlem Renaissance teaches us about power

    Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of influence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values.  This essay is titled 'what the Harlem Renaissance teaches us about power' which was a literary and intellectual movement composed of a generation of Black writers born around the turn of the 19th century. This essay reviews a book that captures this important history as one of America's most influential cultural phenomenons, and what we can learn from that time and apply to today, as well as 7 types of power that are prevalent in all the systems and people we interact with on a daily basis. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    17 min

  4. JAN 28

    we are living in someone else's imagination

    Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of cultural intelligence, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values. This essay is titled "we are living in someone else's imagination" and it's about the ideologies and beliefs driving the biggest leaders who are creating and funding artificial intelligence also known as TESCREAL. TESCREAL is an acronym for overlapping set ideologies within the field of AI that developed from the 1980s to present and stands for stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism. This all sounds like sci fi but you'll understand more when you listen into this episode. What most people don't know is that the artificial intelligence leaders and owners who believe in these concepts, imagine a post-human world, a utopia enabled by technology that values the potential future possibilities from this technology as more important than the present harms that may be happening today, thus making the harms currently being created by the technology today worth it. And we are living in the imaginations and the decisions of those delusions, in real time.   If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    15 min

  5. JAN 21

    hoarding versus sharing power

    Today's episode is a little different from our norm. A few months ago I asked individuals to submit personal stories of ethical and cultural wisdom on the topic of power, and today's podcast is highlighting the story of building Sudha Nandagopal who built Seattle's Equity & Environment Initiative and how it taught her how to see that there are two different kinds of power, the type where status-quo keepers see power as gatekeeping the relationships they have and consolidating the power around themselves or building shared power as a trojan horse within government. She put in structures, and amplified those who didn't have platforms and as a result we won - and that work still exists today and has grown in leaps and bounds. Sudha's Nandagopal has spent two decades as a professional troublemaker, creating the first in the USA municipal Environmental Justice Agenda that centered communities most-impacted as decision-makers, transformed the region's environmental and climate justice leadership, and shifted millions of government and philanthropic dollars towards frontline communities. Whether advising executives or writing about power-shifting, Sudha's superpower is in joyful connection and community building that uncovers collective genius and the imagination we need for just futures.  In her story you'll learn: How power doesn't have to be given; sometimes it must be claimed with courage, even in the face of doubt. That representation matters because when you break into uninvited spaces, you shift what others imagine is possible. And that the most enduring kind of power is collective, built by making room for more voices at the table. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    14 min

  6. JAN 14

    Refusing Erasure

    Today's episode is a little different from our norm. A few months ago I asked individuals to submit personal stories of ethical and cultural wisdom on the topic of power, and today's podcast is highlighting the story of Daisy Onubogu who at 17, became the first Black woman to lead Europe's oldest debating society (UCD L&H). Walking into rooms where no one expected her to belong taught her early that power isn't only positional, it's also about voice, presence, and refusing erasure, shaping how she later built and led communities, by centering people who are usually unseen and creating spaces where their ideas carry weight.  Daisy is a creative operator and community-builder who has led across tech, venture capital, hospitality, and nonprofits. She previously served as an investor at Backed VC, helping raise a €150M second fund, and led VIP speaker acquisition at Web Summit, bringing A-list cultural and political leaders to the stage. Today, Daisy is a coach to individuals and organizations and the host of the Strange Life podcast, where she translates messy human complexity into simple explanations and repeatable practices. In her story you'll learn: How power doesn't have to be given; sometimes it must be claimed with courage, even in the face of doubt. That representation matters because when you break into uninvited spaces, you shift what others imagine is possible. And that the most enduring kind of power is collective, built by making room for more voices at the table.

    13 min

  7. JAN 8

    I Asked AI If Inequality Was Good, Here's What It Told Me

    Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of power, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values.  This essay is titled "I asked AI if inequality was good here's what it told me" and is a recounting of my first experiences with generative AI, the history of this technology, its pros and serious cons and why we should be weary of automation bias taking over how we think and relate to each other. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    17 min

  8. 12/31/2025

    You're More Powerful Than You Think

    Today's Tell it Proud podcast episode is focused on the ethical principles of power, and is a reading from an essay I originally wrote for The New Quo Learning Community where I curate overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom straight to the inboxes of members who are passionate about finding new insight and inspiration to practice their social justice values.  This essay is a book review of You're More Powerful Than You Think by Eric Liu. This book serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide for citizens seeking to create change. This book's message is ultimately one of hope combined with agency - the belief that individuals working collectively can reshape their communities and society at large. The book demonstrates that even in seemingly rigged systems, it is possible to "generate power out of thin air through the magic of organizing." It's an essential read to understand how ordinary citizens like you and I can become effective agents of change. If you'd like to further support this podcast and connect with other like minded people join The New Quo Learning Community.

    24 min
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5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

Our brains are wired to focus on what is wrong, but this means we often miss the cultural and ethical wisdom right in front of us about what is working, good, and new to find real solutions to our problems. This podcast features inspiring personal development tips and stories of overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom told live from incredible unconventional leaders, as well as curated from original poetry, social justice book reviews, and overlooked historical recaps, written and produced by Christina Blacken, founder of The New Quo Learning Community, which is a weekly email newsletter and monthly coaching community that helps mission driven folks use the power of personal storytelling and overlooked ethical and cultural wisdom to create a better future. The Tell it Proud podcast will inspire you with overlooked topics that crusty, inequitable leaders often want erased or ignored, because they change the status-quo for the better. *Formally known as the Sway Them In Color Podcast, which you can find older episodes of with that title.

Information

  • Creator
    Christina Blacken
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The New Quo 2025
  • Show Website
    Tell it Proud